What type of Lenovo should I get?

Hello. I was looking for a laptop and it basically seemed that the only *good* options I had were between a macbook pro and some sort of Thinkpad.

General Questions

1) What is your budget?
~$1,500

2) What size notebook would you prefer?
Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen

3) Where will you buying this notebook? You can select the flag of your country as an indicator.
CANADA!
4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
a. Like: Lenovo, Apple, Samsung
b. Dislike: MDG

5) Would you consider laptops that are refurbished/redistributed?
yes, if it's trust worthy.

6) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?
Whatever an electrical engineering student does. (I did a quick google search and programs like Matlab, AutoCAD came up...). I will watch youtube videos, listen to music and read of course.

7) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?
Both.

8) Will you be playing games on your notebook? If so, please state which games or types of games?
Yea, if I get time. I prefer consoles but I guess I'd play some shooters for fun like Combat Arms.

9) How many hours of battery life do you need?
The more the merrier. In terms of productive usage, maybe 4-5hrs min.

10) Would you prefer to see the notebooks you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK?
I'd prefer to be able to test it out (which sucks about thinkpads!) but I think there are a few small retailers that might have them.

11) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista or Windows 7), Mac OS, Linux, etc.
I like using my brothers Mac but if I opt for a Lenovo I'll probably have Windows 7. I've failed to ever get linux working right.

Screen Specifics
13) Do you want a Glossy/reflective screen or a Matte/non-glossy screen?
preferably matte.

Build Quality and Design
14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
somewhat
15) When are you buying this laptop?
august.
16) How long do you want this laptop to last?
at least 4years? (hopefully!)

Notebook Components

17) How much hard drive space do you need; 80GB to 640GB? Do you want a SSD drive?
Maybe 200GB+. Don't really want an SSD if it's going to cost a lot.

18) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD Burner, Blu-ray Reader or Blu-Ray Burner?
DVD Burner

I did research and I think that either the T series or W series would be best because ram and storage can be upgraded easily.
Is it true that thinkpad screens suck? I'm not entirely picky but I've read post about a "screen door"/pixelated effect. I definitely don't want to be in that situation. Are the t420s with ultrabay battery good laptops?
Thanks so much!

 

Consider a ThinkPad T530 with i5 IVB processor, FHD 1920x1080 screen, 500GB 7200rpm, Intel Centrino 6300 Ultimate-N wireless LAN (wifi) adapter, 1 x 4GB RAM stick (add another 4GB stick yourself), Windows 7 64-bit OS.

You may want to consider the discrete graphics card, but I strongly feel that the integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000 can serve your needs very well.

You can get a config as outlined above for about $1000.

Good luck!